Against All Odds

Chapter 17

Aliyah P.O.V.

I carefully pulled into Marcus' driveway, making sure I parked out of everyone's way. I grabbed my bookbag out of the backseat, and stepped out of the car. "Hey, your back!!" I smiled once I seen Bria and another little girl running up to me.

"Yep, Im back." She smiled. "This is my brother's girlfriend." She said, turning to the other little girl. I chuckled. "Im not his girlfriend remember?" She slightly frowned. "Well I thought you guys were boyfriend and girlfriend." I placed my hand on my hip and chuckled. "And why'd you think that?"

"Because." She started. "He told me you guys went to go eat the other day, and he got all dressed up and put on his good shirt and shoes. He only does that for his girlfriends." I laughed, shaking my head. "Oh, I see, but Im sorry to say that Im not his girlfriend." She slightly pouted.

"...Will you ever be his girlfriend?" I opened my mouth to speak, but the sound of Marcus' voice stopped me. "Bria." I quickly turned around and softly smiled once I seen Marcus standing behind me. "What I told you about harrassing my company? You and Jade go play."

She sighed. "Fine, come on Jade." She turned back to me and hugged the bottom half of my body. "Bye Aliyah." I hugged her back as I laughed. "Bye Bria." She let go of me and grabbed Jade before running off.

I cleared my throat and turned back to Marcus. "..Hey." He gave me a head nod. "Wassup...you ready to come inside?" I nodded. "Yeah, sure."

"Before we get started, I just wanted to tell you that Will and Chris are here, they came to chill for a minute." I nodded. "Oh...ok." He walked back over to the door and opened it for me.

"We're still gunna study right?" He nodded. "Yeah, if they start trippin we can just go up to my bedroom and finish there." I nodded again.

I stepped inside his house and smiled once I seen Will layed across the couch and Chris sitting on the rug, leaning up agaisnt the opposite couch.

"Liyah." Will said, sitting up straight. Marcus closed the door behind himself and walked back over to his spot on the couch.

"Hey." I smiled at the both of them, before taking my bag off my back. "You can sit here." Marcus pushed Will back, and made some room for me on the couch.

I sat beside him unzipping my bag. "Wassup Liyah? I ain't see you in school today."

"Me and Amara went out for lunch, so I wasn't at our usual table." He smirked. "Amara's the white girl right?" I slightly chuckled.

"She's white and spanish." He shrugged. "Whatever, she fine." Marcus sucked his teeth. "Nigga shutup, worry bout them other five females you got callin yo phone all the damn time." He frowned.

"So you just gon put me out like that?" Will nodded, standing up from the couch. "Ight, just for that, Im go in the kitchen and eat all the damn food then." He tossed Chris the remote and adjusted his clothes. "Got me fucked up." He mumbled, walking off.

"So where did we leave off yesterday?" I asked, opening up my textbook. "Uh, I think on page 375, we was doing the review questions."

I nodded, flipping to the correct page. "Okay, number five, What event is often the first to come to mind when people think of the Great Depression?" He scratched his chin before picking up his pen.

"....The stock market crash?" I smiled and nodded. "That's right, do you know why that's right?" He paused before speaking. "...Because it's one of the biggest events that happened during that time..?" I nodded again.

"Sort of, the Great Depression was triggered by the stock market crash in 1929, so usually that's what people associate it with."

"Ight." He wrote the answer down on his paper and looked up at me. "Number six." I started. "What specific trade policies do some economists suggest caused the Great Depression?"